The seven days
The Somali day names came from Arabic, where the days are simply counted from Sunday. That is why the Somali week starts on Sunday too.
| English | Somali | Where the name comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Axad | day one, where the count starts |
| Monday | Isniin | day two |
| Tuesday | Talaado | day three |
| Wednesday | Arbaco | day four |
| Thursday | Khamiis | day five |
| Friday | Jimce | the day of gathering |
| Saturday | Sabti | the day of rest |
Two days carry the special sounds. Arbaco has the Somali c, a voiced sound made deep in the throat, nothing like an English c. Khamiis starts with kh, the scraped k of Scottish loch. Say both out loud and you have practised two of the five sounds English does not have. Our alphabet guide covers all five.
Today, tomorrow, yesterday
Three words you will use every day. Learn them and the day names start doing real work: what happened, what is happening, what comes next.
| Somali | English | |
|---|---|---|
| maanta | today | |
| berri | tomorrow | |
| shalay | yesterday | |
| maalin | a day | |
| toddobaad | a week (also usbuuc) |
Toddobaad is also the word for seventh, from toddoba, seven. Seven days, one word. There is more on that in our numbers article.
Three phrases to use straight away
| Somali | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Maalin wanaagsan! | Have a good day! | |
| Waa inoo berri. | See you tomorrow. | |
| Ilaa berri. | Until tomorrow. |
Wanaagsan means good, and it turns up in all the greetings: subax wanaagsan is good morning, habeen wanaagsan is good night. See Somali greetings for the full set.
Saying "on Saturday"
To say on a particular day, Somali adds its "the" ending to the day name: Sabtida is on Saturday, Isniinta is on Monday. Our Saturday children's classes are Sabtida. How that ending works is explained in Somali has no word for "the".
Common questions
What are the days of the week in Somali?
Axad (Sunday), Isniin (Monday), Talaado (Tuesday), Arbaco (Wednesday), Khamiis (Thursday), Jimce (Friday) and Sabti (Saturday).
Why does the Somali week start on Sunday?
The day names came from Arabic, where the days are counted from Sunday: Axad is one, Isniin two, Talaado three, Arbaco four, Khamiis five. Friday, Jimce, is the day of gathering and Saturday, Sabti, the day of rest.
How do you say today, tomorrow and yesterday in Somali?
Maanta is today, berri is tomorrow and shalay is yesterday.
How do you say week in Somali?
Toddobaad, which is also the word for seventh. Usbuuc is used as well.